"While Andy Serkis has made a name for himself playing motion-capture roles in high profile franchises like "The Lord of the Rings" and recent "Planet of the Apes" reboots, it nearly killed Ahmed Best's career. Best was just 25 when a Lucasfilm casting director picked him out of a San Francisco "Stomp" production to play Jar Jar Binks in "Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace." An avid "Star Wars" fan, Best knew his life was about to change forever. It did — just not quite how he imagined.

"It's really difficult to articulate the feeling," Best told Wired. "You feel like a success and a failure at the exact same time. I was staring at the end of my career before it started." The profile is as comprehensive as they come, and a fascinating dive into the often cruel world of show business…"Main pagelink